Homeschooling in Virginia: Laws & Requirements (2026)

Virginia has steadily refined its homeschool regulations over the past few decades, arriving at a framework that balances parental flexibility with basic accountability. The state offers genuine options—from the structured Notice of Intent pathway to the hands-off religious exemption—allowing families to choose the regulatory approach that matches their philosophy and circumstances.

What trips up most new Virginia homeschoolers is the assessment requirement. You have real choices in how to demonstrate progress (standardized test, professional evaluation, or portfolio review), but the August 1 deadline is firm and missing it creates unnecessary complications. This guide covers all four legal pathways, the specific requirements for each, and the practical realities Virginia homeschool families navigate daily.

Virginia Homeschool Requirements at a Glance

Your Homeschool Options in Virginia

Virginia Code provides four distinct pathways for home education, each with its own notification, qualification, and assessment requirements. The pathway you choose shapes your entire homeschool experience.

Option I — Standard Home Instruction: The most common choice. File a Notice of Intent with your local superintendent, provide evidence of instruction (curriculum description or proof of parent qualification), and submit annual assessment results by August 1. Parents must hold a high school diploma or demonstrate equivalent qualification.

Option II — Religious Exemption: For families whose religious beliefs conflict with state oversight of education. File a written request for exemption stating your religious objection. Once approved, you're exempt from curriculum requirements, assessments, and annual renewals. This is genuinely hands-off—but it's specifically for sincere religious conviction, not convenience.

Option III — State-Certified Tutor: Your child can be taught by a person holding a Virginia teaching certificate. The tutor assumes responsibility for instruction, and there's no standardized testing requirement. This option is rarely used for full homeschooling.

Option IV — Other Exemptions: Covers specific situations like licensed day schools with religious exemptions, students with documented disabilities receiving home instruction, and certain approved correspondence courses.

Most Virginia families choose Option I (standard) or Option II (religious exemption). The decision often comes down to whether you're comfortable with annual accountability reporting or prefer the autonomy of the religious exemption.

Comparing Your Options

How to Start Homeschooling in Virginia

Assessment Requirements

Option I homeschoolers must provide evidence of academic progress annually, submitted to the superintendent by August 1. Virginia offers genuine flexibility in how you demonstrate that progress—the choice is yours.

Standardized Achievement Test: Any nationally normed standardized test measuring composite achievement. There's no minimum score required—you're simply demonstrating that instruction is occurring. Popular choices include the CAT, Iowa Assessments, or Stanford Achievement Test. Many families use affordable online proctored versions.

Evaluation by Qualified Person: A Virginia-certified teacher, licensed school psychologist, or person with graduate credentials in education can evaluate your child's progress. They'll typically review work samples, conduct a brief interview, and provide a written statement that your child is making appropriate progress.

Portfolio Review: Some divisions allow evaluation of a portfolio showing the child's academic work and progress. The portfolio is reviewed by an approved evaluator who provides written confirmation of satisfactory progress.

What "progress" means: Virginia doesn't require specific grade-level achievement or standardized scores. The evidence needs to demonstrate that your child is being educated—not that they're achieving at any particular level. This is an important distinction that gives struggling learners and late bloomers room to progress at their own pace.

Understanding the Religious Exemption

Virginia's religious exemption (Option II) is one of the most hands-off homeschool provisions in the country. Once approved, you're exempt from curriculum requirements, annual testing, and ongoing notification. There's no renewal process—it remains in effect indefinitely.

What's required: A one-time written request to your superintendent stating that you hold religious beliefs which conflict with compulsory attendance or state oversight of education. The statement must reflect sincere religious conviction—this exemption isn't designed as a convenience route to avoid paperwork.

Approval process: Most superintendents approve religious exemption requests without investigation. Virginia courts have consistently upheld broad interpretation of sincere religious belief. However, if there's reason to question sincerity, the superintendent can investigate.

What exemption means practically: You operate completely independently. No curriculum description, no annual notification, no testing, no progress reports. The state has no ongoing involvement in your educational choices.

Considerations: Some families prefer the accountability structure of Option I—external assessment provides confirmation that instruction is effective. Others deeply value the autonomy of Option II. Neither choice is inherently better; it depends on your family's values and circumstances.

Record-Keeping Recommendations

Virginia law doesn't specify detailed record-keeping requirements beyond the annual assessment submission. That said, maintaining organized records protects your family and creates documentation you'll appreciate later.

What the state wants: Evidence of academic progress by August 1. For Option I families, that's a test score, evaluation letter, or portfolio review confirmation. Keep a copy of everything you submit.

What serves your family: Beyond the minimum, consider maintaining attendance records (useful for dual enrollment applications), course descriptions (essential for transcripts), and dated work samples. If you ever move, re-enroll in public school, or apply to colleges, these records become invaluable.

Portfolio approach: Many Virginia families maintain ongoing portfolios even if they use standardized testing for the annual submission. A portfolio with quarterly work samples, curriculum records, and progress notes tells your homeschool story far better than a single test score.

High school preparation: If you have elementary or middle schoolers, establish good record-keeping habits now. By high school, you'll need detailed course descriptions, credit hours, and grade documentation for transcripts.

Annual Compliance Checklist (Option I)

High School, Graduation & Beyond

Virginia homeschool parents award their own diplomas—there's no state-issued homeschool diploma or mandated graduation requirements. This gives you complete flexibility to design a rigorous or personalized high school program suited to your student's goals.

Creating transcripts: You'll develop your own transcript documenting courses, credits, and grades. Include course titles, credit hours (typically 120-180 hours = 1 credit), final grades, and cumulative GPA. Virginia colleges are familiar with parent-issued transcripts.

College admission: Virginia public universities, including UVA, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary, accept homeschool applicants and have established processes for evaluating non-traditional credentials. SAT/ACT scores, transcripts, course descriptions, and potentially a portfolio or interview are standard requirements.

Dual enrollment: Virginia's dual enrollment program allows high schoolers (including homeschoolers) to take community college courses. You'll work directly with your local community college—they'll have a homeschool liaison or admissions counselor who handles non-traditional students.

CLEP and AP: Homeschoolers can take CLEP exams and AP tests independently. These provide college credit and demonstrate subject mastery—useful supplements to parent-issued transcripts.

Sports and Extracurricular Access

Virginia grants homeschoolers access to public school extracurricular activities, including sports, under specific conditions. The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has established policies for homeschool participation.

Eligibility requirements: Your student must reside in the school's attendance zone, meet the same academic and behavioral standards as enrolled students, and comply with all VHSL eligibility rules. You'll need to provide evidence of academic progress (your annual assessment works for this).

Sports covered: All VHSL-sanctioned sports are open to eligible homeschoolers, including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, track, swimming, and others.

The practical reality: Access varies by school and district. Some schools welcome homeschool athletes; others are less accommodating. Contact the athletic director at your local high school early—ideally before the sport season—to understand their specific enrollment process and any tryout requirements.

Homeschool alternatives: Virginia has active homeschool sports leagues and co-op programs, particularly in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. These offer competition without navigating public school policies.

Special Situations

Starting mid-year: Virginia allows you to begin homeschooling at any point during the school year. File your Notice of Intent within 30 days of starting instruction (rather than the August 15 deadline that applies when beginning with the school year).

Moving to Virginia: If relocating from another state, file your Notice of Intent within 30 days of establishing residency. Include your previous homeschool records if available—they help establish your educational history but aren't strictly required.

Special needs students: Homeschooled students with disabilities may access some services through their local school division. Virginia's regulations allow evaluation for special education eligibility and potentially limited services under a service plan. This is separate from full IEP services, which require public school enrollment.

Returning to public school: If your child returns to public school, they may face placement assessment. Maintain thorough records throughout your homeschool years—standardized test scores, detailed transcripts, and work samples support appropriate grade placement.

Multiple children: File one Notice of Intent per family, listing all children being homeschooled. Each child needs annual assessment evidence submitted.

The Bottom Line

Virginia offers homeschoolers meaningful choices without excessive complexity. The standard Option I pathway—annual notification, curriculum description, and progress assessment—is manageable with basic organization. The religious exemption provides genuine autonomy for families whose beliefs require it.

The key is understanding your obligations and meeting deadlines. File your Notice of Intent by August 15. Submit evidence of progress by August 1. Beyond those requirements, Virginia grants considerable freedom in curriculum, schedule, and educational approach.

Your first step: decide whether Option I (standard) or Option II (religious exemption) fits your family. Then file the appropriate paperwork with your local superintendent. Virginia's homeschool community is well-established and welcoming—connect with regional groups for curriculum recommendations, co-op opportunities, and ongoing support.